Portland, ME — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Maine·Portland

Cumberland County · Portland-South Portland · population 69,568

Portland, ME
Image: Wikipedia · Portland, Maine
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
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66
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Portland stands

At or near all-time high.

Median home $561,069
1-year -0.8%
5-yr CAGR +6.3%
vs 5-yr peak -0.9%
Population +0.4%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2024-12$561k$246k$360k$474k$589k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
76/100
Strong remote-work fit
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$2,351/mo$1,686$2,091$2,496202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent136131100120140202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 19.9
Lean buy

At a 19.9 price-to-rent ratio, Portland is in the 'depends on horizon' zone. Buy if you'll be there 5+ years and value flexibility on the home; rent if you might move, want zero maintenance friction, or expect rates to drop.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
46 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
71 · w22%
Distance from peak
85 · w18%
Population growth
53 · w16%
Rent YoY
69 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
80 · w10%
Long thesis

Portland has held up across the cycle: home values at $561,069 with +6.3% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Portland's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Portland

Portland is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, with an estimated population of 69,568. It anchors the Portland-South Portland metro area. The median home value in Portland is $561,069 as of 2026-04, down 0.8% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +6.3% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Portland average $2,351 per month, up 3.6% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 66 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +6.3% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Held the highs: currently -0.9% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Portland (Wikipedia)

Portland is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine. Its population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Greater Portland metropolitan area has a population of approximately 550,000 people, the most populous metropolitan area in Maine. It is the county seat of Cumberland County. Historically tied to commercial shipping, the marine economy, and light industry, Portland's economy in the 21st century relies mostly on the service sector. The Port of Portland is the second-largest tonnage seaport in the New England area as of 2019.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

NicknameThe Forest City
Mottonative name

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Cumberland County right now.

NWS active alerts (ME)Maine Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Cumberland County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Portland

19 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Great Diamond Island$790,567+1.6%
2East End$783,649-0.3%
3Stroudwater$768,234-0.9%
4Peaks Island$721,218+1.4%
5East Bayside-India Street$716,305-1.3%
6Downtown$648,444-0.5%
7Oakdale$643,565+1.7%
8West End$612,919+0.0%
9Ocean Avenue$600,373+1.3%
10Rosemont$599,436-1.8%
11Deering Center$597,456-1.3%
12North Deering$531,689-0.6%
13Valley Street$525,151-0.8%
14Nasons Corner$511,570-1.4%
15Libbytown$495,729-2.0%
16West Bayside$492,022+1.6%
17Riverton$475,182-1.1%
18East Deering$468,858-1.3%
19Parkside$405,691-4.5%

Cities like Portland

Westbrook, ME68 · RisingAugusta, ME68 · RisingSanford, ME70 · RisingBath, ME65 · Rising

Run the numbers for Portland

ToolCan I afford Portland?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Portland rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Portland to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolPortland cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
28° / 11°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
80° / 58°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
196
~54% of year
Annual precip
45″ rain
60″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Low
Tornado
Very low
Wildfire
Very low
Earthquake
Very low
Flood
Low

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Portland listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Portland-South Portland area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
75%
Very humid climate
Median household income
$71,800
Maine state median
Top industries (state-level)
HealthcareTourismForestry/Paper

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

Cities similar to Portland

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